Hong Kong, Canadian police team up to foil $13m email scam

Hong Kong police, in a joint operation with Canadian authorities, successfully intercepted and recovered HK$13.29 million (CAD$2.3 million) in a cross-border business email scam.

The case unfolded when a Hong Kong bank flagged an unusual transfer on March 5 from a Canadian law firm totaling CAD$2.3 million.

Suspecting foul play, the bank alerted the Hong Kong Police Force's Anti-Deception Coordination Centre.

After the investigation confirmed the recipient account was suspicious, investigators activated a cross-border anti-fraud platform to collaborate with Canadian police. Authorities quickly traced the transaction to a Canadian law firm that had fallen victim to a sophisticated business email scam.

The firm had unknowingly transferred the funds under fraudulent instructions, police said.

Through international coordination, police froze the transaction and secured the full return of the misdirected funds.